The seedings for Tuesday’s draw for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers have been confirmed, with 48 nations placed into four pots ahead of the formation of the qualifying groups.
The draw will take place in Cairo and will determine the pathway to the expanded 24-team tournament, which is scheduled to run from 10 June to 17 July next year.
A total of 12 groups of four teams will be formed, with the top two sides from most groups expected to secure qualification for the finals.
However, the qualification process has been complicated by the participation of co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, who have already secured automatic places at the tournament but will still compete in the qualifying campaign.
Under the format approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the top two teams from the nine groups that do not include a co-host will qualify directly for the finals.
In the three groups that include either Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda, only the highest-ranked team aside from the host nation will progress, as the three co-hosts are guaranteed places at the tournament.
CAF has also confirmed that the three host nations will be drawn into separate groups during Tuesday’s ceremony in order to ensure they do not face each other in qualification.
The seedings for the draw are based on the latest FIFA world rankings released on 1 April.
Level 1 contains the continent’s highest-ranked teams, including Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Cameroon, DR Congo, Mali, South Africa and Burkina Faso.
Level 2 features Ghana alongside Cape Verde, Guinea, Gabon, Uganda, Angola, Benin, Zambia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea and Comoros.
Level 3 includes Kenya, Libya, Tanzania, Niger, Mauritania, Gambia, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Togo, Malawi and Rwanda.
Level 4 is made up of Zimbabwe, Guinea-Bissau, Congo, Central African Republic, Liberia, Burundi, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Botswana, South Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia.
The draw will begin with teams from Level 4 before progressing through the higher-ranked pots, meaning the top-seeded nations will be the last to learn their opponents.
The qualifying matches will be played across three international windows. The opening fixtures will take place between 21 September and 6 October, followed by matches from 9 to 17 November later this year.
The final round of qualifiers is scheduled for 22 to 30 March next year, with each team playing two matches in each window as they battle for a place at AFCON 2027.
